Private client broking

The services of private client stockbrokers, whose clients are mostly private individuals, are very different from the services of institutional brokers.

The most important difference is that private client stockbrokers often manage a clients portfolio, taking investment decisions on behalf of the client when offering a discretionary broking service. This service is more like that of a fund manager (albeit dealing with smaller portfolios) than that of an institutional broker.

A broker providing an advisory broking supplies information and advice, but the client makes the investment decisions.

Private clients demand much less research than institutions do. Smaller private client stockbrokers may not even produce any research as such at all, with what little is done being ad hoc and informal.

Discount broking services offer only dealing with no advice or portfolio management.

Institutional investors do sometimes use dealing only services, but they more commonly get broking bundled with access to sell side research. Even when they do buy broking separate from research, the systems and price structures are very different from those offered to private clients.